Garth Rattray | Jamaica needs permanent emergency shelters 

We are once again in the dreaded hurricane season. It begins on June 1 and ends on November 30 each year. After the utter devastation, in parts of central and western Jamaica, wrought by Hurricane Melissa last year, the importance of emergency shelters came to the fore. The short-term problems were minimal, but then the problem of long-term occupancy reared its ugly head.

Jamaica has been described as having a “comprehensive network of over 880 designated temporary emergency hurricane shelters across all parishes, managed by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM)”. Public information on these shelters includes where to access them, the provision of relief supplies, the separate housing of both genders, and the housing of entire families. Advice is also given on what items citizens should take with them and which items are allowed within shelters. 

According to the general emergency protocols regarding the standard operational lifecycle of a temporary emergency shelter, they are expected to house internally displaced citizens for about seven to 30 days. However, when there has been the scale of destruction experienced because of hurricane Melissa, sometimes occupancy may last for six months. After that, displaced citizens are expected to be moved into rapid-rehousing units (rentals or modular container homes). 

Our temporary emergency hurricane shelters include some primary, secondary, and even tertiary-education institutions. They also include some public-sector buildings like existing community centres, churches, and libraries. Hurricane Melissa slammed into us and strafed us on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. Today, there are probably about 160 people remaining in temporary emergency shelters in St James alone. That figure is down from the reported 290 internally displaced citizens in shelters a few months ago.    

With nowhere to return to and nowhere to go, the temporary status of sheltered citizens outgrew their intended purpose and transitioned into intermediary accommodations. The sheltered community attracted attention as earlier this year, Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA) president Mark Malabver, while speaking at the JTA’s annual educational conference at the Princess Grand Hotel in Hanover, complained publicly that some shelter occupants (who he dubbed as “shelterees”) were behaving ‘inappropriately’ in full view of school students and staff. He also said that the property of teachers was going missing and that affected schools were being transformed into tenement yards. Of course, the Government subsequently denied receiving reports on the matter.

 In an article published November 21, 2025, I  reiterated that the changing weather patterns would lead to longer and more dangerous hurricane seasons. Hurricane Melissa was a prime example. Based on the Saffir–Simpson scale, it was a category 5 hurricane. Those powerful storms can achieve maximum sustained winds of over 252 km/h (157 mph). In October last year, hurricane Melissa’s maximum sustained winds achieved a catastrophic 305 km/hr (190 mph). When it made landfall in Jamaica, its sustained winds were approximately 298 km/h (185 mph).

We know that we are in for more frequent and more powerful weather phenomena in the coming years. Therefore, we need to plan and prepare for devastating hurricanes. Since we have no buildings that are dedicated, permanent emergency hurricane shelters, we continue to commandeer schools and other public buildings to shelter our displaced masses. This is untenable. 

Like some other jurisdictions, we need to have buildings that are designed specifically to function as emergency shelters. These would be erected in locations that are accessible to many communities when there is an urgent need for emergency occupancy. They would have slabbed roofs and erected in places that can’t be flooded. They should also have a paved area to act as a helipad when needed.

Designated emergency shelters should be large enough to house hundreds of citizens and have proper amenities and efficient sanitation in place. They should have places to store bedding, first aid kits, hygiene products, water, and non-perishable foodstuff for the long term. They should have the ability to prepare meals and provide satellite communication. They should have solar and/or generator power supply capabilities.

When not in use as emergency shelters, they should serve a dual purpose. They should function as regular community centres with day care, after-school care, places for extra lessons, entertainment, and social interaction. They would be capable of being rapidly converted / transformed into fully operational emergency shelters. 

Given the scope of predicted future environmental disasters, we also need interim shelters to temporarily house the citizens who have no hope of rebuilding their homes. These intermediary shelters would allow for the decommissioning of the emergency shelters within six weeks. By that time, most displaced citizens would have been capable of returning home or to their communities. The people with total losses would have a place to live until permanent housing units are provided (by the Government, charity organisations, or by private enterprise).

Lands and infrastructure (electricity supply lines, potable water supply, sewerage, roadways, and proper drainage) should be put in place where housing units can be erected or installed to provide communities for permanently displaced citizens. These relocated people would have a place to start over. They would be self-sufficient or assisted by family and not treated as dependent on the State for their day-to-day needs.

Even if there were never any issues with the people occupying schools being used as so-called “temporary emergency shelters” for indefinite and long terms, the mere presence of citizens living within the school property is extremely disruptive. As a nation, we must think big and prepare ourselves for the future by eliminating the need to commandeer places (especially schools) for emergency shelters. 

Garth Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice, and author of ‘The Long and Short of Thick and Thin’. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com.